Godzilla: Domain of the Monsters
A loose anime adaptation of a discontinued fan manga called Godzilla: Monster's Territory by Takao Yoshiba by Studio Ghibli and directed by Goro Miyazaki which follows a young boy and his widowed photojournalist mother ending up stranded along with a small makeshift village of scientists on the outskirts of a Kaiju-occupied patch of land in the Japanese countryside only for their situation to get worse when Godzilla starts heading to their location. The film is rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of monster action violence, peril, destruction, some terror, and language". Plot One year after an attack by Godzilla resulted in the death of his father, 9-year-old Kyouta Izu and his photojournalist mother Miho travel all around Japan's Kanto region investigating destruction caused by Kaiju during Summer vacation. However, while taking a short cut to a "special place", the two are nearly caught in a car crash by a mysterious van. However, just as Miho is chastising the drivers who seem to be warning them about something, both vehicles are attacked by a mysterious reptomammalian Kaiju which chases them into a tunnel. After escaping the beast, the people of the van bring Kyouta and Miho to a small village called Ifukube. The leader of the village, Dr. Gentaro Unoegi explains he and several other members of the village are scientists who were sent in to investigate reports of mysterious, never before seen Kaiju that had been sighted throughout the Kanto countryside as well as a strange life signature which led them to a location they labelled "the Menagerie" which is home to not only bizarre wildlife but also new Kaiju never before discovered. At first the beasts of the Menagerie disregarded the presence of the scientists, however, once the scientists began travelling deeper into their territory, the creatures violently attacked and killed a great number of them and any attempts to escape were cut off by the Menagerie's den mother, Raia (the same beast who attacked Kyouta and Miho) while rescue attempts were thwarted as the Kaiju attack anything headed anywhere even near the Menagerie's location. While Kyouta befriends some of the denizens of Ifukube, Miho speculates that the beasts of the Menagerie might be protecting something and they regarded the humans there as invaders with Unoegi to which he agrees, stating the monsters did not start attacking until they brought a strange crystal from deep within the forest. Meanwhile, Kyouta then comes upon the crystal which sends out an energy signature into him along with a voice proclaiming itself as "Akumu", causing him to pass out, the wave catching not only the attention of the Menagerie but also Godzilla who awakens deep in the Marianas Trench. Later that night, the Menagerie's beasts attack Ifukube and begin killing anyone who gets in their way as they appear to seem determined on finding Kyouta. One of the monsters gets to him first and attacks him in his room. One of the Ifukube residents, Osamu Sakurai, attempts to protect Kyouta only to be snagged by the beast's tentacles and absorbed into the fungal-like mass on its back but not before telling the boy to run. Miho rushes to her son's aid and also attempts to hold off the monster, pushing Kyouta out of the way before also getting engulfed by the monster. Shocked by the seeming death of his mother, Kyouta lets out a grieved cry while at the same time, Godzilla makes landfall in Tokyo Bay, attracting the attention of the Menagerie's Kaiju, including Raia who squishes the beast which engulfed Miho and Osamu, setting them both free while she leads a group of Kaiju to intercept the King of the Monsters. Miho then collapses in her son's arms out of exhaustion while Kyouta fears the worst despite Unoegi's attempts to quell those fears. Meanwhile, Godzilla leaves a trail of destruction in his path as he advances toward the Menagerie, shrugging off all attempts by the JSDF to slow him down before he comes into contact with Raia and her fellow Kaiju who attack him at once. After a fierce battle, Godzilla manages to kill all the Kaiju except for Raia who he merely incapacitates with his Nuclear Pulse before continuing unopposed. Back at Ifukube, Kyouta stays with the unconscious Miho and Osamu while Unoegi is told that Godzilla is headed to their location and is estimated to arrive in the afternoon tomorrow if he continues on his current course. Meanwhile, Kyouta leaves to cry before being contacted by the mysterious voice telling him to head to the Menagerie's center. After the boy refuses, he is taken over by an unknown force which starts to head out to the location, pushing aside anyone who gets in his way. Meanwhile, Miho and Osamu begin to wake up while Unoegi and the rest of the Ifukube denizens attempt to keep Kyouta from coming any further to the edge of the Menagerie while the beasts also await, seemingly ready to tear him apart. Kyouta, now addressing himself as Akumu, tells them to make peace for their end is approaching. However, before he takes any step further, he is snapped out of the entity's control by Miho calling his name. She then rushes to embrace her son as collapses in her arms. The next day, Miho and Osamu are told the current situation by Unoegi and that they have only until the afternoon before Godzilla arrives though the reasons as to why are still unknown. However, Unoegi then assumes the reason for the Kaijus' behavior may stem from the presence residing in Kyouta. Kyouta, once again under Akumu's control, wakes up while Unoegi attempts to speak with the entity. Akumu explains he was defeated by Mothra and that the crystal held his soul while his body still resides in the Menagerie and that the monsters were trying to ensure he never woke up again. Miho angrily demands the creature to exit her son's body before she is flung back and Kyouta begins to head to the Menagerie, killing any of the creatures that get in his way until he finally comes across the body of Akumu and transfers the soul of the monster by merging into his chest. With Akumu awakened, the Kaiju erupts forth and destroys half of the Menagerie, carrying Kyouta in his chest since the crystal is now an empty vessel and assumes control over the Menagerie's denizens and orders the animals to attack the people of Ifukube before heading off to cause destruction with the Kaiju in tow. In the midst of the chaos, Mothra arrives and saves the people while Miho heads off to rescue Kyouta from Akumu despite the risks declaring she is not going to lose her son like she lost her husband. Meanwhile, Akumu arrives just outside of the Menagerie where Godzilla is waiting for him. Akumu, after a brief battle, sets his Kaiju army upon him to distract him before flying away. Godzilla is at first overwhelmed until Raia arrives and breaks Akumu's hold on the Kaiju with a roar while Godzilla heads after Akumu who is causing destruction in Tokyo. After Godzilla arrives, the two Kaiju battle. Miho arrives in Tokyo just as the two monsters are fighting and keeps calling out to Kyouta in an attempt to wake him up. Mothra then appears along with Raia who do battle with Akumu. During the fight, Mothra tries to keep Godzilla from using his Atomic Ray as to prevent him from killing Kyouta. The Shobijin then tell Miho Akumu has to have his soul and body separated and the soul needs a vessel before handing her the crystal which was originally his soul's vessel so the soul can be transferred back into it. Mothra then pins down Akumu to allow Miho to begin the transfer, freeing her son from the Kaiju's body. Now without a soul, Akumu's body acts more akin to a feral beast and an easier challenge for Godzilla who manages to kill the body with his Atomic Ray. At the same time, Miho is embracing her son, fearful he is dead until he wakes up and sees his mother and the looming form of Godzilla who roars in victory before acknowledging Raia and Mothra before parting ways; Mothra to Infant Island, Godzilla to the ocean, and Raia to the Menagerie, this time allowing the scientists to finally leave while Miho crushes the crystal containing Akumu's soul, destroying him once and for all. Two days later, Kyouta and Miho, after getting a ride from Osamu who is implied to be dating Miho, arrive at their intended destination: a lake where Kyouta's parents first met and the movie ends. Category:Animated movies Category:Animes Category:Adaptations Category:Films based on comics